This course provides comprehensive training on the nature of electrical interference in facility electricity supply and signal lines, with particular emphasis on lightning. The course explains how lightning strikes buildings and structures, and how lightning currents flow in building power, telecommunication, data and signal lines. Techniques for assessing the need for lightning protection are reviewed, including the likely cost-benefits of controversial lightning elimination or diversion schemes. Further research data on the penetration into buildings of lightning electromagnetic pulses (LEMP) is presented and how this interferes with data and signal lines. The results of laboratory modeling will are used to demonstrate methods for hardening facilities against lightning and external electrical interference. You are shown how to use recently available archived lightning incidence data from the National Lightning Detection network (NLDN) to assess the risk for facilities and how to use real-time lightning data to make operational decisions. The course focuses on advanced techniques for surge protection and shielding of power, signal and data lines and includes both video and practical demonstrations on actual systems in operational facilities.

You will learn to:

• Calculate the risk of direct and indirect lightning strikes to structures
• Evaluate the need for a lightning protection system
• Identify which protection systems work, and which do not
• Understand how electric and magnetic fields penetrate buildings
• Use real-time and archived lightning data
• Determine the best grounding means for a facility
• Locate your data center in the safest area in a building
• How to shield sensitive rooms from external interference
• Avoid the pitfalls of isolated grounding
• Shield and bond communications systems
• Select appropriate transient protection technology
• Identify where to install surge protection devices
• Determine communications systems to avoid
• Lightning-proof computer networks against LEMP
• Application of surge protection in facilities

CD-ROM version includes:
-video (mpeg) and workbook (.pdf)
on 6 CD-ROMs
A-PAC-15-CD: